According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 2.5 million people injured in car accidents every year. A sizable number of those accidents are side-impact collisions. This can happen when a car hits the side of another, resulting in significant damage. There are different forms of side-impact collisions with different levels of severity.
In general, side-impact collisions are more dangerous than other types of accidents. This is because vehicles are not built to take strong side-impacts. They offer less protection than front and rear collisions, although there are still safety features in place to keep people safe. The result is usually more severe damage to the vehicle and more severe injuries for anyone inside the vehicle.
If you or a loved one were injured in a side-impact collision, you may be able to take legal action against the person that caused your accident. Doing so can help you recover financial compensation for any expenses related to your recovery. Start the legal process by scheduling a consultation with the office of a San Diego side-impact collisions lawyer to see what your legal options are. You can call the offices of Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 to discuss your case with our team.
Determining Liability
Liability is the concept that the person who is responsible for your damages is also financially responsible for the expenses of your recovery. In a side-impact collision, determining liability is relatively easy. In most cases, the person that caused your accident is liable. This is because of the way that side-impact collisions usually happen.
There are some instances where liability can be a little more complicated. For example, signs indicating the right-of-way that are missing from intersections can change the way liability works. City governments are responsible for maintaining the signs, and the missing sign may make the government liable. Your lawyer will investigate liability early in the process of creating your lawsuit to make sure that anyone that is liable is included.
For a free legal consultation with a side-impact collisions lawyer serving San Diego, call (844) 730-0233
Common Side-Impact Collisions Expenses
Like other types of accidents, side-impact collisions can result in a lot of expenses. These expenses can include:
- Medical expenses: Emergency medical care and ongoing recovery care can be expensive.
- Car repair or replacement costs: Your insurance and the other driver’s insurance may not cover the full cost of replacing your vehicle if it is totaled in the accident. side-impact collisions usually result in heavy damage, which can be expensive to repair.
- Lost wages: If you need to miss work for an extended period of time after your accident, you may not be paid for that work. Filing a claim for lost wages can help you collect the wages that you lost from being out of work.
- Mental health care: Accidents that have a major impact on your emotional or mental state may require medical intervention to fully recover from. Mental health care may be needed to help you process what happened and return to a less stressful lifestyle.
There may be other types of compensation you can collect in your lawsuit that are not covered on this list. Document as many of your expenses as possible to make it easier for you and your lawyer to file all of the appropriate claims. One of the problems that many victims run into is that they do not claim enough expenses to cover the full cost of their recovery.
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Auto Insurance Settlements
Sometime after the accident, you may be offered a settlement agreement by the other parties, including their insurance company. This is common practice when insurance companies are involved. Before you accept it, review it thoroughly with your lawyer to make sure that it meets your compensation needs.
You are not obligated to accept an insurance settlement agreement. Instead, you can file a lawsuit and take your case to trial. However, the settlement may benefit you in several ways. A lawsuit can take a long time to resolve and you will still have to deal with financial troubles while you are waiting for the trial. Accepting a settlement agreement makes it possible to collect compensation sooner so that you can handle these financial problems and focus on getting your life back on track. Discuss any agreement that you are offered with your San Diego side-impact collisions lawyer before making a decision. For a free consultation, contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC today.
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Reasons to Hire a Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer may be in your best interest since there are legal statutes that you should consider. The statute of limitations places a time limit on how long you have to file a lawsuit after an accident. You have three years to file a lawsuit for property damage cases, according to the California Code of Civil Procedure (CCP) §338, and two years to file a lawsuit for personal injury cases, as per CCP §335.1. If you give your lawyer enough time, they should be able to build a strong case for you to get compensation.
Another area where having a lawyer can be very helpful is if you need to negotiate. Insurance companies tend to offer settlement agreements as a way of closing liability issues. You can accept a settlement agreement or you can renegotiate it to make sure that it meets your compensation needs. Having a lawyer makes the negotiation process easier since you will have help determining what your needs are and handling the actual negotiations with the insurance company.
Managing a lawsuit can be difficult if you do not have legal support. At the very least, consult with a legal representative’s office to see what your options are.
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Side-impact collisions can take a long time to recover from, especially if they are severe enough to total your vehicle. Rather than suffering through the financial problems an accident creates, consider filing lawsuits to recover financial compensation. Doing so can take years off of the amount of time that it would take to handle all of those related expenses. Under civil law, you are entitled to file the lawsuit to help with your recovery.
If you or a loved one were injured in a side-impact collision, you may be able to take legal action against the person that caused your accident. Start the legal process by contacting the office of a San Diego side-impact collisions lawyer to see what your legal options are. You can schedule a free consultation with our team by calling the offices of Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233.
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